Author(s): Jonas Bhuyan, Dr. Trailokya Nath Parida

Abstract: Riddles have been an integral part of human culture because of their role in entertaining people and conserving cultural heritage. For the Soura tribe of India, riddles remain the most cardinal method of protecting their culture, language, and social values. This paper aims to dig deep into how the Soura people of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh transfer their cultural identity from generation to generation with the help of riddles. These riddles, full of allusions to nature, social mores, and biological science, reflect in themselves insights about the deep sense of connection of the tribe with the environment. They function as an effective vehicle for teaching younger members about their ancestral language, the rhythms of nature, and the core values of the tribe: respect for elders, community. Through riddles, the Soura also preserve their Austroasiatic language full of idiomatic expressions and poetic forms that capture their worldview. And despite the pressures of modernity, the Soura continue to pass down these oral traditions in communal settings and thus foster social bonds and cultural continuity. The paper explains how riddles can support the continuity of the continuation of the tribe's connection to their land, the education of essential survival skills, and encouragement of moral and ethical codes. Thus, by introducing old traditions in the internet world, the Soura make their cultural heritage continue, which will be a strong bonding of their identity in the future.

Keywords: riddle, culture, tradition, saura proverb

Article Info: Received: 13 Jun 2025; Received in revised form: 08 Jul 2025; Accepted: 12 Jul 2025; Available online: 15 Jul 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.104.22